The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a repair armature and, more particularly, to an ultraviolet (UV) curable composite repair armature.
In various technological applications, such as helicopter repair and maintenance, the repair of composite structures often involves bonding a laminate patch over a damaged area. In some cases, the contour of the structure to be repaired is simple enough to allow a generic precured laminate patch to be used. However, this is not always the case and more complex parts often require that the patch be laid up as a prepreg or wet layup directly on the structure to conform to the contour.
Normally, for repair of complex structures, resin systems are used that cure at reduced or room temperatures to facilitate a cure in place without compromising the base structure or surrounding systems. The material systems that enable this approach have limited mechanical properties though. This results in the repairs being inefficient and in some cases impractical due to the amount of material needed to meet structural requirements.